International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December 2018.
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, DPI turns to the States parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with an appeal to listen to the claims of citizens with disabilities, and to engage all ministries to refer to the CRPD in every decision as well as in their internal working. The national policies pursued by States parties need to be ambitious and deeply rooted in the heritage of humanity; the obligations related to implementation engage all ministries and all components of society.
Leaving no one behind — whatever their abilities — in realising the SDGs requires concrete action to make the situation of persons with disabilities visible in policymaking, and the achievement of the Goals at all levels needs to recognise the potential of persons with disabilities as major contributors.
Wherever they live, persons with disabilities need to be educated and better equipped to overcome the daily challenges they face: inaccessibility, lack of adapted care, unemployment, extreme poverty, education deficits, segregation and stigmatisation. The sum of work is immense, but persons with disabilities demonstrate daily that nothing is insurmountable — and this is why persons with disabilities themselves are the first experts to engage, because their experiences are unique and their expertise an added value to the implementation of the CRPD. Like the hummingbird, we make our part.
